Demars Financial Group LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. $KR

Demars Financial Group LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 98.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,952 shares of the company’s stock after selling 389,696 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Townsend & Associates Inc purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $13,831,000. Altus Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Kroger by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC now owns 8,357 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 575 shares during the period. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $201,000. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $226,000. Finally, First Bancorp Inc ME purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.4%

KR stock opened at $69.13 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.04 and a 200 day moving average of $69.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $55.60 and a 52 week high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.00 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 35.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Argus set a $85.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.50.

About Kroger

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.